Jupiter: Seraphi's Recurrence
by jewel60
Summary: This story picks up where the movie left off. Jupiter must figure out how to rule the universe and the planet but her first decision ends up being another adventure where she and Caine must solve a mystery. I hope you enjoy. Please constructive feedback is welcome as is any comments.
1. Chapter 1

Jupiter: Seraphi's Recurrence

Chapter 1

Caine and Jupiter were on her roof talking about families. Her life, for the moment at least, was exactly as she wanted it. Right now she didn't feel the need or desire to talk about what the future held, she just wanted to get to know the man in front of her. He was more handsome, not less, with his new cybernetic wings. As she put on the gravity boots she grew silent. She teased Caine that she loved it when he called her "your majesty" and she did but there was another part of her brain that was trying to push her into the next week, the next month, the next...

"Jupiter..." Caine's voice brought her out of her reverie and she took the hand he offered to help her to her feet. He pulled her all the way to him however, and wrapped his arms and wings around her giving Jupiter pleasant chills. He claimed her mouth with his own and her thinking slipped away until he was saying "Are you ready?"

For a moment Jupiter hadn't the slightest idea what he was asking but then her brain reasserted itself and flowed back reminding her of the gravity boots and the new moves she wanted to show him.

She grinned at him. "Watch this," and she ran and jumped into the air promptly finding waves she could coast. She could hear Caine's wings behind her as he tried to catch up. He would in a matter of seconds but that was okay she wanted to show him some new tricks she had learned. It was all trial and error at first for Jupiter as she did not know how the gravity boots really worked and didn't think she would understand a manual so Caine gave her a quick tutorial and she was off. Compared to then, now she was an ace.

Afterwards as Jupiter was removing the boots Caine asked her a question that she had been dreading to hear but knew was coming.

"Jupiter we need to talk," he said softly.

"I know," was Jupiter's only reply.

"You know I will help you all I can and I think Kalique would be 'over the moon' as you say, to be a part of your introduction as the new primary ruler of the universe."

"I own the Earth and that is overwhelming. Now I have to rule the universe?. My mind can't grasp it all."

Caine took Jupiter's hands in his own and pulled her forward, planting soft kisses on the nape of her neck and between the soft kisses came a few nibbles that sent shivers down her spine. They were, simply put, divine.

"You will be fine," he whispered as he drew back to look in her eyes. "With Kalique, Stinger, and I, you will be excellent. A lot to learn yes but I have seen how smart you are and so have Stinger and Kalique.

"Didn't you tell me once that your uncle told you that you were too smart and that was why you weren't married? I remember it made you angry."

Jupiter laughed. "That was such a back-handed compliment but so typical of my uncle."

Jupiter shivered at the sheer feeling of being overwhelmed, it was a planet for goodness sake not a baby, or a move to the suburbs, or even a marriage. It was business of a different kind than she had ever done but still a job at the end of the day.

"Jupiter you don't have to make any decisions about your planet yet, there's still time."

"You mean time until the population exceeds the planet's ability to sustain it was how Stinger had put it. Is that what you're referring to?"

Caine gave a slight nod of the head. Sometimes he spoke so few words it drove Jupiter crazy though she didn't have the slightest idea why.

"So I just have to catch up to social structure in the universe outside of my own planet and then figure out what Earth's needs are and how best to meet them right?"

"See," he said giving her a sly smile that was sexy as hell. "I told you that you were smart."

It wasn't fair, thought Jupiter, he shouldn't do things like that to her. Use that smile to disarm her. It made her feel awkward all of a sudden like she was in high school. She wasn't and she wasn't quite used to the whole quiet but take charge kind of guy Caine appeared to be. She had never known a guy like Caine if she was honest with herself. That was probably why she felt so awkward around him; he didn't know Earth's social or relationship cues. His abruptness sometimes made her feel dizzy.

"Jupiter are you okay?" He was gazing at her with concern. The sexy smile was gone and she wanted it back.

"Yeah sorry, I guess I was daydreaming. It's all a lot to take in."

"It is but I know how quickly you learned the Entitlement Code when you first claimed your title." He pulled her back to him again and enveloped her once more with both arms and wings and she thought heaven had to feel just like this.

"I think I have to tell my mom Caine, I need someone I know for support too. She can keep a secret, well, only if it's with Aunt Nino too, but together they would keep the secret," Jupiter assured Caine.

"I get it," Caine assured her, "Why don't we do it together but we will have to get out of the city to somewhere pretty quiet, like Stinger's, he won't mind I don't think."

"Okay, that sounds like a plan right? We will just include them for now until I get used to all of my duties in the universe."

"Eventually all your family will know and I think they would all know it was in their best interest to keep quiet because we don't want to have to go around blanking people."

"Oh God no, I don't want to blank anyone. They won't want to be blanked either. I think we will be good." Jupiter's voice almost cracked when she said this, such was her fear of causing anyone to be blanked. She could think of no more horrible thing than to have your memory taken from you.

"Is there any way to un-blank a person"

He frowned. "I don't know, I guess I never though about that. But I think I know someone who could answer that question."

She looked at him curiously. "Who?"

"Stinger's daughter" he said, "she studies the brain of a lot of species including humans."

Jupiter looked at him with astonishment. "Has she ever talked about it?"

"No, it's kind of like a super secret thing. Stinger told me that but nothing else."

"Oh my goodness" she whispered. "Can we go see Stinger and Kiza?"

"Why?"

She smiled. "Cause I'm thinking of a way to make this easier for my family,"

He looked at her with a wary expression. "Why is it that I feel like your brain is working overtime?"

She looked at him innocently but with a secretive smile. "Ahhhh you know me so well."

He sighed in weary resignation. "No I think it's that you know _me_ too well."

She laughed. "It's a plan then?"

"All right let's go, I'll drive," Caine said as he grabbed the car keys in his pocket."

"Just remember no speeding tickets, I don't want a policeman blanked because he tries to give you a ticket for driving without a license."

He gave her that sexy grin that made her heart beat a little faster. "Trust me" was all he said and she gave him a questioning brow.

They drove in companionable silence to Stinger's bee hive of a home. It was literally full of hives in every corner outside of the house and grounds. Whenever Jupiter visited she was always followed by a trail of bees that almost obliterated the sky until she waved them away. She could commune with them in gestures and they always seemed to know what she wanted. If she were frightened or suspicious of anything they would be back in an instance and surround her in wall that not many would attempt to go through.

They walked to the front door and knocked. The door was flung open with lightening speed and Stinger grabbed them and pulled them into the house. Stinger's face wore an expression of fear and panic.

He looked at Caine and said, "I was just getting ready to call you."

Both he and Jupiter locked on his grave face and simultaneously asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's Kiza, she's gone missing and I don't believe it was of her own free will!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"W-Wait, w-what?" Jupiter was in shock herself. She looked helplessly at Caine whose face did not show shock as much as it did anger. Jupiter already knew how protective he was of those close to him, those that he was loyal to.

"Tell us what's happened and why you think there is danger involved?" Caine's voice was low but she heard the threat in it towards anyone who might be guilty of being a danger to Kiza.

Stinger motioned them to sit and sat on an arm chair across from the sofa on which she and Caine were seated. He leaned forward and looked at each of them with quiet intensity.

"At first I didn't think anything of it when she didn't return home last night because she sometimes crashes with friends or a boyfriend when she has one. She doesn't have one currently and she usually calls me to tell me she won't be back for the night. It was the call I got this morning from the lab she is working in saying that she had not shown up for work. It wasn't like her to ever miss work without some type of communication with her colleagues. I could only come to the conclusion that something has happened to her."

He ran his hands over his head as if he had hair he could comb through such was his state of mind at the moment.

"So I took off to the lab and asked them to show me her work room but it was in order like always before she left for the day. They did not say that she had plans for after work with friends or anything like that so I called every friend in her book including those off planet and no one has seen or heard from her since she left work yesterday."

"This sounds very unlike Kiza," Caine agreed. "You said you feel as if she has gone unwillingly because this isn't like her. Can you think of any reason why someone might want to take her or harm her?"

Jupiter followed their conversation but she was scared for Kiza, who was the gentlest woman she had ever known, they had hit it off right away. But she could not remember Kiza ever talking about her work. She had just chalked it up to her not wanting to talk shop after hours. Now she wondered.

"Her work is high security clearance isn't it?" Jupiter asked though she already new it was true and because of Caine's comment about her work being super secret. She knew in her gut that it was this secret work that was the motive behind her disappearance.

"Someone feels threatened or wants to steal whatever she was working on," Jupiter whispered mostly to herself but she knew Caine and Stinger heard her."

"That is exactly what I was afraid of," Stinger told her and held Caine's eyes "and I need help in figuring things out and finding her."

"Which means," Caine said, "that we need to find out more about her work somehow."

"I know a little but she felt the more I didn't know the better for me, I don't doubt." Stinger was once again running his fingers over his scalp, a cloud of worry on his face.

Jupiter could see how hard this was for Stinger especially since Kiza's cure from cancer was provided by Titus, in exchange for helping him find Caine whom Titus felt had reneged on their business . A deal that ended up with Titus locked up for the attempted murder of Jupiter, who was his mother Seraphi's recurrence. She was royalty in the view of the Universe though she thought that Titus would likely not be incarcerated long enough to suit her but because of this. Stinger's fear of losing Kiza was strong as a result even though she was cured. It appeared to be a hard habit for Stinger to break.

"We don't have any time to waste," Caine said. "We need to talk to her boss where she works to see if we can get more information that will help us find her quickly.

Jupiter interrupted, "We need to know whatever she told you about her work. It seems the best place to start."

Caine nodded his head in agreement and he and Jupiter looked at Stinger questioningly.

"All right then," Stinger said, nodding his head as well. "She said she was working with neuro-cognitive processes of memory retrieval in the brain. She used the example of the ability of un-blanking and retrieving memory of individuals who had been blanked, a few minutes up to the blanking and during the time covered by the blank, that's about it. I don't know the progress of her work or anything like that. She mentioned the start of something new relating to the properties of bee venom. "

Jupiter gave Stinger a wry look and asked him, "Okay so part of that was in English?" but before Stinger could reply she was saying "...because hears what I heard you say, 'Working in brain... blanking...memory...retrieving it...something about the brain again.….and they're trying to figure out how to unblank someone, it seemed like an example of just one discovery they could learn, basically how we access more of that 90 percent of our brain that isn't used?"

Jupiter looked at them with chagrin but a kind of questioning innocence, "I mean that could be a pretty big reason for her being taken." She looked at both of their stern faces. "I'm right aren't I?"

Caine and Stinger looked at her and in unison in unison whispered, "Yes I think you're right."

She squared her shoulders, "All right let's get to her lab." She turned from them and started towards the door, her ponytail swinging as she strode away. Both men in silence strode behind her their faces set in grim determination. Stinger and Caine felt the strong connection he and Caine had always had. The two of them together had never been defeated in battle and to them, Kiza's abduction meant war.

When they arrived at the Institute of Biophysical Research and Medicine (IBRM), the name of the facility Kiza worked at, they were expected and shown to a small conference room by a perky, but tiny woman wearing a striped blue shirt dress, her matching blue heels clicking away on the floor. Once she had ushered them inside and told them her supervisor would be right in she turned on one of those heels and went clicking back to the her office. The facility itself housed research on many topics related to it's usefulness in helping people. The highly competitive Biophysical Research of Unlimited Scope and Dimention (BRUSD), was widely believed to be somewhat shady in their practices and had allegedly used spies to obtain research done by IBRM in the past. IBRM was the leading research facility and only employed some of the most creative and powerful intellects in the world.

They waited only a few moments before a short, rotund man with a balding pate came through the door. He was deceptively quick in motion for his stature. He was at the front of the conference room and ensconced behind a podium before they had even returned to sitting. He introduced himself as Dr. Henry Brideman, the head chief of research and Kiza's direct supervisor.

"I am at a loss as to why Kiza has disappeared. She was a committed and intellectually above those of her peers but everyone here loved her. She was kind and generous to all. She just threw a baby shower for Dr. Kate Claymore a few days ago. I heard it was a great time for all. So talented in so many ways." He rubbed the top of his shiny head with his fingers and sighed wearily.

"Doctor," Stinger began "we have some grave concerns about Kiza's safety and well-being at this time. I know she loves her work her and she is not the sort to blow off anything as important as her job."

"Indeed," interrupted Dr. Brideman, "Even when she was sick she would come to work. She never complained about anything though we all knew she was fighting cancer. We were overjoyed when she went into remission recently. I just can't believe this is happening." He looked bleak and his shoulders slumped downward. "I am so worried as I know all of you are and very likely more so than I can ever imagine."

Jupiter came forward and put her hand on the doctor's shoulder. Her voiced was soft as she asked him "Can you tell us anything about what she was working on and how important it was so we can figure if it may be the prime factor to her disappearance?"

"I see that your train of thought meets with my own." He came to the front of the table where they were seated and took the seat at the head of the table. "Unfortunately there isn't much I am able to say because of security risks but I will tell you the most I can as I feel that you will not break this confidence to anyone else."

Jupiter, Caine and Stinger nodded their agreement and all were leaning slightly toward the doctor as they awaited his response to the original question.

"First there is something I want you all to know and that must remain in this room permanently as it would put Kiza in more danger than she might already be in." He turned to look directly at Stinger as he said "It is something even you don't know about her. If the person or group that may have her, which is looking more and more likely by the minute, knows already or figures it out, it might lead to her torture."

Jupiter gasped, "Oh my god!" and put her hands to her face, eyes wide with horror.

On the left she a loud buzzing noise she knew to be Stinger while on her right side Caine snarled and grumbled low in his throat.

Once they had gathered their equilibrium and settled as best they could, they said nothing, looked at Dr. Brideman and waited for him to continue.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Kiza has an eidetic memory, to the extreme that I have never seen before. She doesn't write anything down because she literally can't forget anything she sees, hears, smells, touches, or tastes. She keeps everything in her head including her work. If someone has her it is unlikely they know this about her as it is top secret here. "She has never even told you this," he told Stinger.

Stinger's eyes were distant and he wore a small smile saying, "Well that would certainly explain a lot."

"Kiza for some unknown reason kept it quiet until she arrived here and started her work with us and told me some of her unique ideas. She had everything in her head and told me she did not keep notes because she did not have too. I knew at once I had someone very special and she became top secret immediately. We agreed to tell no one about her talent and how highly intelligent she is."

Jupiter noticed Stinger was looking proud, though worried. "That's my girl, I always knew she was special."

Caine spoke up, "Do you have any idea where we should start looking, without arousing suspicion in the enemy camp if we even know who the enemy is?"

Jupiter couldn't help give the director a small smile. "Those poor people don't know who they have messed with! They won't know what hit them," she said thinking aloud, "Those two are their very own army." She gave a quick glance toward Caine and Stinger. She sighed loudly, would she always be having to worry about him getting hurt? He was too new to her and she would not give him up, not now that she had found him. He made her heart stutter just to look at his handsome face.

The director was speaking again and she brought herself sharply back to the present. "The only thing I can think of is to try to get inside the offices or labs rather from our prime competitor, the Biophysical Research of Unlimited Scope and Dimensions, and look around for some type of clue. Kiza is too smart not to leave a clue somewhere." His dark eyes looked almost black with fear for Kiza, "Do not underestimate them, I believe them to be dangerous and not from around here, like Kiza."

The three faces were agape with astonishment at his words. He waved his hand dismissively.

"Please there is no more time to explain more, you must find her and my son. He is her lab partner and he is missing as well. His name is Kyle, my only son, my only child" and Jupiter saw the tears in his eyes.

Jupiter went to the director and quickly hugged him and then looked into the man's eyes with determination, "We will find them!" She quickly hugged him again and walked back to Stinger and Caine.

The director quickly scratched something on a piece of paper and gave it to Stinger. "My cell number, please keep me apprised as much as you are able."

Stinger took it and placed the phone number in his pocket after quickly glancing at it and Jupiter knew Stinger had already memorized it. Jupiter was thinking that Kiza was not the only one with a quick memory. He started for the door and Caine and Jupiter said goodbye to the director, while Stinger told him he would do his best to give him any and all updates. He well knew the hell they were both going through with their only children missing.

They decided to take the back freight elevators out just in case someone had been monitoring the place and had seen them. Caine complained of all the smells that assaulted him once outside as they made a circuitous route to the car. He didn't smell Kiza at this point so he knew she was not very close. He frowned, confused, because he knew that she couldn't be far, someone was blocking him with a stronger scent that didn't allow his nose to help him. As a matter of fact it was starting to hurt him

Caine halted Jupiter and Stinger. "Someone is blocking her scent, I can't smell her, all I can smell is this foul odor that I am not familiar with. My nose burns with it, I have to get out of this air," as he was coughing and almost choking, tears streaming out of his eyes. "I can't breathe," rasped he rasped..

"We need to find some oxygen for him. It should help clear his nasal passages along with the use of a neti pot."

Jupiter had her arm around Caine helping him to the car. Stinger got into the driver's seat while Jupiter told him he needed to find a pharmacy on the way back to his house..

"But first, make sure no one is following us," she said, rummaging through her bag and bringing out her package of tissues. She pulled several out, straightening them, handing them to Caine saying

"Breathe through these for now until we can get some oxygen and some things to put over the vents to strain anything coming in."

"Will that work?" Stinger asked.

Jupiter looked back at him through the rear view mirror, "I hope so, I can't think what we can do otherwise." She wished she felt as confident as she sounded but she had to believe they could get through this. Look at what they had been through already. No, she had to believe they would get through this too. This was her adopted family and they meant every bit as much to her as if they were in fact, related. No one messed with her family.

As if he had read her mind Stinger said, "We've come through worse haven't we?" He locked eyes with her, a slight grin on his face.

"My thoughts exactly," she smiled back at that little grin that reflected the look of a boy thinking about making mischief. She loved that grin.

"All right," he said as he watched the road around him for any followers, "Your wish is my command fair lady."

As they drove toward Stinger's house, Caine started to breathe a little easier through the tissues but she knew she had to find some face shields for him to breathe better and some other things she thought might help.

Caine's voice was a croak, "What is a neti pot?" he asked.

"Something that can wash your sinuses clean," she said evasively.

"Why does it sound as if you're not telling me something?" He looked at her warily.

She leaned into him and brushed her lips across his cheek, whispering, "Trust me."

It was good enough for Caine so he eased back and relaxed against the back seat.

"I am your mercy", he again rasped and closed his eyes to try to ease the pounding in his head and the burning in his eyes. The light was making it worse.

In the pharmacy, once done asking about oxygen, Jupiter grabbed two packages of large gauze pads along with rubber medical tape, ibuprofen, soothing eye drops, allergy face masks, salt for the nasal irrigator, and a gallon of purified water. She purchased the electric neti-like nasal irrigator, one created by some doctor who was on several other products incuding the salt she was purchasing for the irrigator. She went to a different part of the store for duct tape before heading toward the cashier reaching to grabbing chips, sodas, and several candy bars before dropping the hand cart with everything in it onto the conveyor belt. She turned to the cooler beside the aisle and grabbed several bottles of spring water. She gave the young cashier a bright smile which she kept in place until her order was rung up, paid, and she was headed out the door walking briskly toward the car.

She watched Caine, who still had his head lying on the back on the seat, eyes closed. He was holding the bridge of his nose with two fingers and she could see the tightness in his jaw. He was in pain. She grabbed the ibuprofen and shook several out, then nudged Caine with her elbow to get his attention. She held out her hand with the pills in her palm

"Water or soda?" she asked him.

He quickly chose the water and then downed the medicine with several gulps of water. She used the duct tape and some gauze pads to make a screen for the car vents and modified a mask so that there were layers of gauze to sieve the air through. His eyes were not running now but they were still red. The raspiness in his throat sounded quieter although she wondered in her mind if it only seemed that way because she wanted it to be that way.

Once back at Stinger's house Jupiter propelled Caine to the bathroom where she read the instructions for the nasal irrigation and put purified water and the salt into the chamber and swirling it until the salt was dissolved. She turned and instructed Cain that he needed to lean over the sink and put the end of the irrigator into one nostril and allow the water to come out of the other nostril. He looked at her in a distrustful way but did as she instructed him. There was a time or three that he forgot not to breathe through his nose and sputtered until he finally got the gist of it. They did all over again with the other side. She then led him into a darkened room and made him lie on the bed. She left him and returned shortly with a cold pack she put on his brow, almost over his eyes.

There was silence in the room. A companionable silence neither felt the need to intrude on for the moment. Jupiter watched as Caine slowly relaxed and started breathing much easier and the coughing and choking had stopped. Jupiter's gaze turned as she saw Stinger quietly enter the room.

"How is he doing?"

"Better," his voice came from the bed.

He sat up slowly and when he opened his eyes they were still red but markedly lighter than they had been. He kept the modified mask in place over his mouth and nose and reclined again so Jupiter could put some of the eye drops in his eyes. He looked better and was definitely breathing a lot easier than before.

"Thank goodness we didn't need the oxygen because you need a prescription to get it, or from a company that delivers oxygen for people," Jupiter told them.

Stinger looked at them both saying, "We need to have a plan and firepower, we have no idea what we are up against."

Jupiter sighed as Stinger tossed Caine the key to the armory Stinger had hidden in what looked like a shed but was more than that. It also housed some pretty smart gadgets.

Caine rose from the bed and headed out the back door followed by Stinger. Jupiter went and got herself a bottle of water from the refrigerator and returned to the back screen door, watching for the re-emergence of the two men.

In her mind she couldn't help thinking to herself,"Here we go again!"


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

When the men returned to the house with a small arsenal Jupiter was not surprised. Suddenly she felt dizzy and when she looked up she was no longer in Stinger's house but instead she was in a beautiful room that she suddenly knew had been hers, or rather Seraphi's. She watched as Balem came into the room and she felt both love and fear as he headed strait towards her, his hands outstretched.

She dimly heard Caine's voice calling her name loudly and the memory left her brain and she was back at Stinger's but with both of them looking at her intently and fearfully. It was Caine who was rushing towards her now and put his arms around her.

Jupiter held him but found she was actually clinging to him. She was still unsteady and of course Caine unnecessarily picked her up as if she were a feather. He put her on the sofa and insisted she lay back with a pillow under her head. She let him go reluctantly but he immediately knelt beside her and she felt like she would swoon if she knew how. She was such a schoolgirl in love when it came to him.

He was gazing at her trying to figure out what was wrong. She held up her hand palm forward as if she were saying 'hold up'.

" I am fine," she told Caine and put her palm against the side of his face and she definitely wanted to swoon over the way he turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand

Caine wanted to just nibble on that warm and deliciously scented wrist. The smell was like that of a meadow filled with wildflowers. She definitely didn't seem to be hurt in a physical way but she had looked badly dazed and unfocused on the here and now.

"What happened?" he asked taking her hand and putting it in his own. "You were standing, staring straight ahead but your eyes looked as if you weren't even in the room."

"I think I had a vision, or mabye it's be more like a memory," she told him. "I was in this beautiful house and I knew it was mine, or Seraphi's actually, and I knew every nook and cranny in that house even though I have never taken a step over over that house's threshold"

She focused on Caine with her next words knowing that this was definitely going to impact her in the here and now.

"Balem came walking into the room and towards me with outstretched arms and then I heard my name being called and I recognized your voice."

"What should we do?" he asked both her and Stinger. It was Jupiter who spoke first.

"We keep going, why would we let this stop us?

"What if it keeps happening?" Caine asked her.

"I have the best bodyguard in the world you know'" she teased, "and he will not let ANYTHING happen to me.

"Damn right," Stinger said, "I would never let anything or anyone harm you."

Jupiter and Caine looked at each other and then all three of them broke out laughing. It was a moment that helped them to calm and steady themselves, even if her 'memories' kept happening it was Kiza and the director's son they had to remain focused on. They also had to figure out how to keep Caine from being tortured by whatever scent had been released to stop him from finding her.

"You know this has to be someone who knew she was not from Earth. Someone smart enough to try to keep Caine's nose from helping us to find her."

"Which means the bloody bastards know who we are and so you can guess they're already erasing any traces of their movements. We are flying blind here so I suggest we go off planet to figure out our next strategy and look for a clue as to who or what we are fighting against."

"I think I might know where to go," Jupiter told them. Caine and Stinger were looking at her questioningly.

"Might?" questioned Stinger.

"Well yeah I think if I could see a hologram or something I might be able to draw a track of where to go."

"Okay but how do we get there?" was Caine's question.

"O ye of little faith," Stinger said, "Grab everything and let's go out to the barn."

Jupiter and Caine knew not to ask questions so they followed him out the door with their gear. He strode to the barn and turned back waiting on them. Once they caught up they all entered the dim barn but all Jupiter could see was hay and equipment everywhere. Stinger strode over to a piece of equipment that looked battered and dead to her. He reached inside and suddenly everything started to change in front of her eyes. The floor they were standing on opened up and they had to jump back as a large part of the floor opened up and up came a spaceship though Stinger called it a small clipper.

Caine was shaking his head but grinning, "I should have known," he said.

"You should know me by now laddie, I would never give up my ride."

Though she was a bit stunned Jupiter quickly re-oriented herself and headed towards the ship. Stinger passed her and pressed his hand on a square that looked like clear glass. A door slid silently open and they all went aboard.

Stinger looked proud of his ship saying, "her name is Gaitha, Kiza's mother's name. She was the only woman I ever loved and she was taken too soon. Kiza was five when she was killed. They said it was a freak accident but I never quite believed them. I don't know why though, probably just the shock and grief."

He seemed to shake himself mentally and smiled at Jupiter, "she would have loved you," he told Jupiter. "She was like Kiza, she always looked at Caine's side too. It was the one reason I took the blame for him. I knew she would never have forgiven me and I don't know that I could have forgiven myself for that matter."

Jupiter gave Stinger a hug and said "I know I would have loved her, look how much I love Kiza? She is like the sister I never had."

Caine, who had been storing the armory and other essentials they had brought with them as they did not know how long they would be gone. They also needed to shake whoever was watching them or following them. That bothered him. He looked at Stinger asking "Can you shake anyone following us with this ship?"

Stinger, all business again said, "I have a cloaking device that also bounces our signature off so many objects and randomly out in space, so it will be extremely hard for them to follow or even trace us."

"Everybody checked their things for bugs right?" Caine asked Jupiter and Stinger who both nodded.

"I have things rigged so that everything returns to how it was after we leave, sort of like your garage remote," he explained for Jupiter. "We are leaving cloaked so we should be fine."

Stinger walked to the front where the control panels were and motioned Jupiter to follow him. He brought up their current location and all the maps of the universe spanning outward in 3D tracks.

Jupiter looked at these and asked if Stinger could pull up anything further? He did so and out on it's own was a planet about the size of the Earth's moon.

She pointed her finger at the planet, "There!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Stinger looked at the hologram and checked the distance.

"That's right out on the fringes of our known part of the universe. Actually I know a little bit about it, it is usually sought out by royalty but they have a code that no one speaks of anyone else on the planet as they don't want it known if they have a place there. It's a contract between the owner of the planet and the people that pay for an exclusive part of the planet. They can't bring anyone that is not on their list nor are they able to buy any portion or tell anyone about the planet. People on the list have to make that same contract. There's also a limit to the amount of vacancies there are so you can imagine the waiting list."

"What if we can't get in?" Jupiter was flooded with panic. She was looking back and forth at Caine and Stinger waiting for an answer.

Caine answered in a soothing voice, the one that was soft and low and helped her immediately.

"Jupiter, all you have to do is show them your arm. They will scan it and know who you are immediately and will jump over themselves to help you."

He was looking at her with some amusement in his eyes, though he said nothing else. She felt calm almost immediately. She was also a bit piqued at him because now she felt foolish for overreacting.

"Oh yeah." she said, "I keep forgetting I have it." She pulled back the sleeve of her sweater to look at the holographic seal. She discovered that it could be deactivated and invisible to others if she looked at it a certain way. It had something to do with the seal recognizing and acting only with her eyes. That helped her because she 'd had to keep it hidden from her family.

"Once we get into orbit how will we know where her particular location was?" Stinger was not as unaffected as Caine about what they were doing but they had to be somewhere safe to plan for Kiza and the director's son's rescue. Jupiter's, or Seraphi's secret hideaway was still secret to anyone else but Jupiter.

"Somehow I think I will know," she replied.

"Either way," Caine said, "I am sure we will be stopped after entering the planet's orbit, they have planet-wide security I'll bet. They'd have to have a military grade defense system to keep people off the planet, if they wanted this place to remain unknown. I even think that they will be waiting for us no matter where we enter the planet's atmosphere."

Stinger shrugged, "It will be whatever it will be. Jupiter's got all that we'll really need."

This turned out to be true as well as Caine's knowing they would be waiting for them. It took a few minutes for them to scan and verify her as Seraphi's recurrence and had Caine and Stinger sign the contract of silence that everyone who came or went had to. But they did all they could to welcome her as Caine had indicated. The gentleman who seemed to be in charge hurried them to another room where he enclosed them and turned to the three but looked only at Jupiter.

"Your majesty it is so good to have you back. Everything here has been kept as requested until such time as your recurrence came along. The resemblance is astounding!"

Jupiter cocked her head sideways and asked, "Wait, did you know her?"

The gentleman smiled as he said, "Yes, I knew her well."

"I want to know so much more but right now we are short on time, so if you would be so kind to as to give me a map although I think I know where already but just to be safe I would like directions if you will."

"Certainly Excellency. My information is not of an immediate nature as you had already taken care of it, well before she was killed. It's quite hard to explain so let me give you your map and when you can spare the time come back and learn more about her and why you will always have this space, no pun intended."

Jupiter laughed. "Believe me I understand more than you know." She accepted the odd little circular gadget he gave her. She looked questioningly at it. Caine was beside her and took it from her. He seemed to touch it a certain way and than a holographic map projected out from it's half sphere.

"Ahhh," Jupiter responded and turned back to the gentleman to tell him that she would indeed be back and would love to talk with him. Caine nodded congenially at the gentleman and steered Jupiter towards the door.

Minutes later they were flying fast and furious towards the blinking green dot on the holographic map. They came upon a lush hillside with a manor house sitting amidst it. On the other side of the hill there was a lake that was fed with majestic waterfalls. Every color under the sun seemed to be in the foliage and hillside surrounding the lake. It was so beautiful it took Jupiter's breath away.

As they approached the house and landing pad just off from the house she noted this part of the hillside was green with a grass that actually waved and was the most beautiful emerald color she had ever seen. It was striking. They approached the house and were met by the apparent house bot. The bot would not let them pass until Jupiter figured out that the hologram on her arm might work so she put her arm up against what appeared to be a receptor that was circular and a bluish light emanated from it. Suddenly the unhelpful bot was ready to give them a tour though they didn't really want one. They just wanted a room and peace.

"Sim house bot could you please send us to the nearest salon and you may return to your normal routine."

Jupiter shrugged at Caine and Stinger and waited.

"Certainly your majesty," and she led them into a salon that was medium size but adorned beautifully with emerald green fabric on the furniture and drapes with a rug that changed color to match with any of the colors in the room. The bot turned to leave saying "Majesty, if you should need me please just push the button on this pendant and I will be but an instant in responding if the house has not already helped you as there are functions in the house that may help you."

She handed the filigreed gold pendant with a single emerald tear in the center. She recognized it and a flash of light blinded her for a second. She staggered into the wall and Caine once again swooped her up and asked the bot to show them to the mistress's room.

"That's it Jupiter you need to rest now!"

Jupiter felt like she knew where to go but her head was splitting and she couldn't open her eyes to the pain of the light. She turned her cheek into Caine's chest and watched things through half-lidded eyes but all she could see was a foggy curtain that got darker and darker. She vaguely heard Caine's voice but she noted he was using his growly tone before she succumbed to the darkness.


End file.
